Palpitations occur when a person can feel abnormalities in the normal beating of the heart. These palpitations can be an isolated extra beat, or they can run together and last for prolonged periods of time. Each part of the heart has the potential to be irritable and cause an extra beat to occur. As well, short circuits in the electrical conduction system of the heart can cause "runs" of abnormal firing.
Palpitations are common consequence of anxiety, lack of sleep, certain medicines, caffeine, or too much heavy exercise. They also may be a sign of heart disease or some other diseases that affects heart or other part of the body. Palpitations usually occur when something disrupts the normal electrical activity or function of heart. Palpitations could occur when the heart is beating quickly, slowly, or irregularly.
Heart palpitations are sensations that feel like pounding or racing. Sometimes it feels like your heart skipped or stopped beats. Palpitations can be felt in your chest, throat, or neck. If you have heart palpitations, you should contact your doctor to make sure it is not caused by a serious condition. Your doctor will perform tests to determine the cause and whether the heart palpitations are treatable or not.
Specific types of palpitations may be due to structural abnormalities in the heart. Narrowing of the coronary arteries that causes a decreased blood supply to the heart muscle can cause irritability and abnormal heart beats like premature ventricular contractions, ventricular tachycardia, or ventricular fibrillation. Structural wiring abnormalities can cause paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardias or Wolfe-Parkinson-White syndrome.
Unless the palpitations are occurring during the visit to the healthcare provider, physical examination is not that helpful. The healthcare provider will likely check vital signs like pulse and blood pressure and look for signs of underlying physical problems, such as a goiter (enlarged thyroid gland in the neck) and listen to the heart to check for abnormal sounds like clicks or murmurs.
Any rapid heartbeat (or tachycardia) can give rise to this feeling. A rapid, regular fluttering in the chest may be associated with sensation of pounding in the neck as well, due to simultaneous contraction of the upper, priming chambers of the heart (the atria) and the lower, main pumping chambers (the ventricle). If the fluttering in the chest feels very irregular, then it is likely that the underlying rhythm is atrial fibrillation.
Treatment depends on what is causing the palpitations, your symptoms, and other health problems you may have. If your palpitations cause few symptoms and you are healthy, you may not need any treatment. You may need to make lifestyle changes, such as decreasing stress and avoiding alcohol and caffeine. Do not smoke or use tobacco products. Work with your caregiver to find the right exercise program for you. Do not exercise longer or harder than your caregiver has told you to. If your symptoms bother you or you have other health problems, you may need other treatments.
The treatment required for eliminating or reducing the frequency and severity of palpitations depends entirely on the cause. Often a short period of rest and rejuvenation will be enough to calm the feeling of a racing, thumping heart, or sometimes following a stress reduction programme can prove useful.
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